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Ramadan Prayers

According to the lunar calendar the month of Ramadan is May 26th – June 24th this year. It is duirng this time of the year that Muslims fast and pray from sunrise to sunset. It is a time of reflection and seekinig God for cleansing of sins. In light of the month of Ramadan, I would like to share the followng blog written by guest blogger, Miriam Eva.

I will never forget my introduction to the Middle East. After accepting an invitation to visit, I pictured what it would be like to meet those who called that region home. I remember peering excitedly from the airplane window as we began to descend toward the city lights below.

Unfortunately, my luggage was not the only baggage I carried on that trip. I also took my preconceived ideas of Muslim people. My perception of them was formed and shut up tightly within the framework of my Western understanding.

Once there, my senses were immediately overwhelmed. I saw beautiful women covered from head to toe in traditional Islamic dress, called hijab and niqab, and I heard the sounds of the Adhan, or call to prayer, from mosques that seemed to be everywhere. Being in that country was a new experience for me, one that I eventually fell in love with.

We arrived during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims rise early to eat before the sun is up and then fast and pray until the sun sets. The fast of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam.

With a desire to greet Muslim people, I learned two simple Arabic words that helped me bridge the barriers. I loved watching eyes brighten as I exchanged smiles with Muslim people for the first time in my life. Of course there were also Muslims whose faces showed disdain for me. My love for them is blind. I only see people God loves enough to give His life for. With each call to prayer that I heard announced from the mosques, — I prayed. As I watched men standing in the trains that we shared chanting Quranic verses, I prayed for them, too.

I was surrounded by a people I feared — and loved.

Guards were assigned to escort us in remote areas of the country. They became our travel companions as we visited poor villages. We were honored to be invited into the homes of Christians. Over steaming cups of tea, and through the voice of our interpreter, we shared with them our love for God.

I remember one such visit on a hot day. I watched our guard dutifully follow his Ramadan fast, which included avoiding drinking or eating in the 100-degree desert heat. It was during this visit that a member of the family we were visiting asked me why I follow Jesus. I was given the perfect opportunity to share my love for a God who first loved me. I shared about the truth of a Savior whose love and acceptance I can never earn. Our guard listened intently. I pray this was the beginning of this man’s encounter with God.

In many areas of the world, this month brings with it increased persecution. On the first day of Ramadan this year, 28 Christians lost their lives in Egypt, when the bus they were traveling on was ambushed. Let’s remember our Christian brothers and sisters in prayer during Ramadan, which began May 26 – June 24th.

While Muslims fast and pray in hope of encountering God, we can pray for them, too More Muslims are said to be coming to faith in Jesus Christ today than at any other time in history. A friend of mine who is a former Muslim once said, “What if Muslims all over the world are being visited in dreams and visions by Jesus because we are too afraid to go to them?” In many parts of the world, persecuted Christians are boldly sharing the love of Jesus with their Muslim neighbors — even when doing so endangers their lives.

Today, the mission field has spilled over into our backyards. It is no longer necessary to board a plane to extend the love of God to our Muslim neighbors, — one only need to go next door.

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NLT